"In Calculating the Cosmos, Ian Stewart presents an exhilarating guide to the cosmos, from our solar system to the entire universe. He describes the architecture of space and time, how galaxies form, and how it's all going to end. He considers parallel universes, what forms extraterrestrial life might take, and the likelihood of humanity being snuffed out by an asteroid. He explains how Kepler's laws of planetary motion led Newton to formulate his theory of gravity; how the discovery that the universe is expanding led to the development of the Big Bang theory; and how cosmologists theorized concepts of inflation, dark matter, and dark energy. But does inflation explain the structure of today's universe? In an exciting and engaging style, Ian Stewart takes us on a mathematical quest through the intricate realms of astronomy and cosmology." -- Back cover.

Prologue --Attraction at a distance -- Collapse of the solar nebula -- Inconstant Moon -- The clockwork cosmos -- Celestial police -- The planet that swallowed its children -- Cosimo's stars -- Off on a comet -- Chaos in the cosmos -- The interplanetary superhighway -- Great balls of fire -- Great sky river -- Alien worlds -- Dark stars -- Skeins and voids -- The cosmic egg -- The big blow-up -- The dark side -- Outside the universe -- Epilogue.